Washing machine



Aug. 4, 1953 c. c. SCHEELE WASHING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1948 sSheets-Silas: 1

E Y H m Eh .mwWA m Aug. 4, 1953 c. c. SCHEELE 2,547,383

' WASHING MACHINE Filed March 20, 1948 3 ShetS-SheetE INVE'N TUE!CHARLES E.5cr-1E :ELE

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 4, 1953 WASHING MACHINE Charles C. Scheele,Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Easy Washing Machine Corporation, Syracuse,N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1948, Serial No.16,081

1 Claim.

This invention relates to washing machines, and more particularly to amethod and apparatus for washing, utilizing centrifugal force for movingthe washing fluid.

In washing machines of the agitator extractor type employing separatecompartments for washing and damp drying, it has been the practice toconfine the washing operation to the agitator compartment and therinsing and damp drying of the laundry to the extractor compartment.Such an arrangement involves the necessity for manually removing thelaundry from the agitator tub to the extractor tub while wet with hotsoapy suds, and the balancing of the wet load in the centrifugeextractor basket. The removal of heavier or larger articles of clothingfrom the agitator compartment to the extractor basket is not asdifiicult an operation. as scavenging for smallerarticles and subsequenttransfer to the extractor basket. The present invention is directed toan arrangement wherein the extractor basket may be utilized for washing,rinsing, and extracting sequentially in a cycle, and in whichcentrifugal force is employed in each stage,

whereby the manual transfer of laundry from one tub to the other iseliminated.

The invention is especially applicable to light loads and smallerarticles of clothing as above mentioned, but may also be utilized inconnection with a load equivalent to the capacity of the extractorbasket. The invention also is applicable for dry cleaning where specialcleaning fluids such as carbon tetrachloride are employed.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus wherein wash fluid may be recirculated from a central regionwithin the extractor basket of a machine of the type described, andthrough the basket wall and laundry held thereby under centrifugalforce.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in connection with acentrifugal extractor of the type described, a circulating systeminvolving valves and a pump, wherein wash fluid may be recirculated orsent through the basket to drain as may be desired, and wherein the washload so rinsed Within the basket may be subsequently centrifuged forwater extraction. A further object of the invention is the provision ofthe mechanism above described in conjunction with an agitator extractortype washing machine, so that washing may be performed in a separatecompartment or in the extractor compartment at will.

A further object of the invention has to do with the novel processinvolved embodying the centrifugal recirculation of wash fluid throughlaundry contained in an extractor type basket, and subsequentlyperforming the operations of rinsing and extraction without intermediatehandling of the laundry being washed.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear morefully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying 'drawings. It is expressly understoodthat the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and arenot designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, referencebeing had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine of theagitator-extractor type, with the extractor broken away, and the washand rinse fluid passages exposed. M

Figure 2 is a transverse axial section of the extractor takensubstantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2 ashort distance above the base of the extractor basket;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially'on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,immediately below the extractor basket; and g Figure 5 is a diagrammaticView showing the wash and rinse fluid connections.

Referring to Figures 1 through 4, there will be seen a washing machinehaving a tub I I] used for washing and which may contain an agitator ofany type such as will be well understood in the art. There is also shownan adjoining tub I2 containing a centrifugal extractor basket I4 mountedfor high speed rotation about a vertical axis. The tubsIfl and I2 aremounted upon ,a base I3 supported on legs I6 and I8. The base hasmounted therein a driving motor 20 connected to a transmission 22whichis adapted to at will rotate the extractor I4 or, at will drive theagitator in the wash tub 10 or both as will be well understood in theart. The motor 20 also drives a centrifuge pump 24 which is driven by abelt drive 26 to the motor. A similar construction of the apparatus thusfar described will appear in Geldhof Patent No. 2,111,143.

The extractor tub I2 is mounted upon a base I3 and is provided with adrain' outlet 28. The tub I2 is centrally located with respect to atransmission supported bearing-supporting member 30 through whichextends a drive shaft 32, the latis secured to a base 38 having acentral spider 49 the arms M of which extend to a shaft-supported hub42. The base 38 is provided with a central flange 44 from which the legs4( of the spider 40 extend and around which is mounted a conicalupstanding perforated water distributing The latter may be secured tothe sleeve 46. flange 44 by rolling the marginal edge 48 thereof in anannular groove 56 and by means of a central stud 52 threaded into theend of the hub 42, the stud having a screw head nut 54 at the upper end,bearing against a cap 56 on the end of the cone. The cap 56 may have acentering flange in the form of depending fingers 58 so as to rigidlyhold the cone substantially coaxial with the basket.

Washing fluid or rinsing fluid may be distributed from the perforations60 of the cone 46, such water being injected into the cone from aplurality of stationary nozzles or jets 62 located beneath the basket insuch a position as to pro ject streams of fluid past the spider arms 4Iinto the cone. The jets 62 are supplied from an annular manifold 64formed in the member 39, the manifold being connected to a source offluid supply through the manifold inlet connection 66. i

It will be seen that the base of the tub I2 is suitably perforated as at68 to permit the passage of fluid from the manifold 64 through the jets62. The jets 62 are so directed into the cone as to provide asubstantially even distribution of fluid through the length of the coneso that substantially uniform axial and radial distribution of fluidemerging from the apertures in the cone 46 will be assured when the coneand basket assembly are rotated at a relatively high predeterminedspeed. The construction which may be used is further exemplified in mycopending appath being closed when the drain valve 12 of the tub I0 isclosed, and the valve 14 of the drain hose 16 is likewise closed. Thus,by the introduction of a desired amount of washing fluid within theextractor tub I2, the pump 24 will recirculate the fluid causing streamsof washing fluid to be projected from the nozzle 62 into thedistributing cone 46, Assuming the basket to be loaded with laundry forwashing purposes, upon causing the basket to revolve at high speed, thewashing fluid will be uniformly distributed over the clothing from thecone 46. The laundry will in turn be distributed on the inside basketwall, and the washing fluid will be driven through the fabrics bycentrifugal action, The washing fluid thereafter is allowed to flow intothe outlet 28 whence the fluid will be recirculated continually underpressure by the pump until suflicient washing action has occurred.

By rotating the valve I0, 90 clockwise, the circulation previouslydescribed is interrupted and by subsequently opening the valve I4, thewashing fluid may be pumped from the extractor tub I2 and discharged todrain as, for example, into a neighboring sink or set tubs, or such washwater may be saved by delivering to the tub It by Iii valve 18 into thenozzles 62.

hanging the usual gooseneck I8 over the rim of the tub I0 or through anaperture in the top thereof, as will be well understood in the art.During this procedure, the valve I2 will remain closed.

A circulatory rinsing operation may be performed as soon as the washingfluid has been removed from the tub I2 by first closing the drain hosevalve 74 and by admitting a quantity of rinsing fluid from the supplytap 82 through the When a suflicient quantity has been admitted, thesupply tap is turned off, and thereafter the valve I0 is returned to theposition shown in Figure 5. The extractor is then caused to revolve athigh speed and the pump 24 thereupon recirculates the rinsing water forsuch period as may be desired. Thereafter, the valve 10 may again beturned clockwise, the drain hose valve I4 opened, and the rinse waterdischarged to the drain as for example, into a nearby sink or set tubs.While the foregoing rinsing method is similar to the previouslydescribed washing cycle and may be effective, it is not the mostdesirable method of rinsing, and would be availed of only whereconditions dictate.

A continuous rinse operation preferable to that above may be performedutilizing a continuous stream of fresh rinsing fluid merely by the opening of the water supply tap 82 while rotating the basket at high speedto drain the suds contain ing rinse water and maintaining thedrain opento remove and discharge. After such rinsing operation has progressed asufficient length of time as may be varied to suit conditions, thesupply of fresh water may be cut off at the valve. 82. The rinsedlaundry contained within the basket I4 may thereafter be centrifuged toextract substantially all the moisture therein. Thereafter, theextractor basket may be stopped and the damp dry laundry removedtherefrom.

The arrangement shown in Figure 5 will be seen to admit of theintroduction of wash water from the agitator tub In to theextractorbasket I2, this being accomplished by preferably closing thedrain valve 14, although this is not essential because of elevation ofthe end of drain hose 1B, and opening the agitator tub valve 12, therebypermitting flow of washing fluid from tub It into tub I2 so long as thecentrifuge pump 24 is not rotating. It will thus be seen that the tub l0may act as a storage reservoir for washing fluid for theextractor tub I2when utilized for centrifugal washing, while the washing fluid remainingin the tub I6 may be employed for ordinary agitator washing therewithin,the latter being well understood in the art. It will also be observedthat upon utilization of the washing fluid thus introduced into theextractor tub 12 from the wash tub l0, such wash water may be returnedto the tub I0 for further use either in agitator washing within the tubI6 or for storage purposes until a subsequent wash load is placed withinthe extractor compartment I2, and the washing part of the cycle is to beperformed.

While the apparatus thus described will be found, very eifective uponlight pieces of laundry or delicate fabrics, it will be understood thatif heavy garments or items likely to produce lint are introduced, a lintfilter may be employed in the recirculatory system, as between the pumpM and valve ill, the valve 70 and the manifold 63, or between the outlet28 and pump. Such filter will minimize the danger of lint eitherplugging-the jets 62, or the apertures 66 in the cone 46. It will beappreciated that the circulatory rinsing operation might also berendered more desirable by the introduction of a filter or otherseparating device in place of the lint filter, for the purpose ofremoving soap supported solids, as scum curds, etc. Thus, the fluidbefore recirculation is cleared of a part or all of the residue pickedup by the rinse water as it passed through the soapy freshly washedlaundry. Such an operation would be highly desirable in the event drycleaning solutions are to be employed, and special rinsing solutionsalso employed.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in conjunctionwith certain parts of apparatus previously developed by me and employinga vertical axis extractor, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited thereto, nor to the form illustrated and described, but maybe practiced upon various equivalent apparatus, and the apparatusmodified as desired. As various changes in procedure and constructionmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as willbe apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to theappended claim for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a washing machine, a Wash tub, a centrifugal extractor tub, said tubhaving a centrifugal extractor basket and axial spray rinsin devicerotatably mounted therein, a drain pump having a connection from each ofsaid tubs connected to its inlet, a valve in the connection from saidlaundry tub, a connection having a valve from said pump having means fordelivering the outflow of said pump to the wash tub or a sink drain, aconduit adapted to be connected to a source of rinse water underpressure, and a branch connection leading from said last-namedconnection between the pump and valve, a threeway valve having two inletports connected to said branch connection and said rinse water supplyconduit, and an outlet port connected to said axial spray rinsingdevice.

CHARLES C. SCHEELE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,234,498 Seymour July 24, 1917 1,496,644 Karasinski June 3,1924 1,542,292 Eddy June 16, 1925 1,787,243 Geldhof Dec. 30, 19301,861,244 Schweiterman May 31, 1932 1,890,156 Konig Dec. 6, 19322,062,286 Birr Dec. 1, 1936

